This month has been a whirlwind. I don't know how she is already already 8 months old. I mean how in the world is that possible? I sure loved my newborn baby, but this girl gets more fun each day. (I take that back some-- the days of the top teeth breaking through, getting a cold and learning how to grab poop diapers while changing them, those days, I nearly thought I might literally pull my hair out.)

For the "let's get to the facts" people, here are her highlights and monthly pictures:

Development: This has been a month-- it started off me being a little nervous about her stopping any form of rolling over and despising tummy time to having a VERY active little girl. She doesn't stop rolling over now (like one end of the room to the other in a matter of seconds). She also has started what I'm calling sliding (not army crawl and not really scooting) but she can move forwards, backwards and sideways, but it's like she is sliding on ice not carpet (so weird). She's gotten herself into crawling position a few times but not rocking or moving yet (which I'm just fine with). She can push herself up to sitting from her tummy and get down to her tummy from sitting. She can pull herself up to her knees, but not all the way up to standing on her own yet. She loves standing and can hold on to things pretty good with just barely one hand. She has started babbling a lot more (adding in some consonant sounds). Started clapping and waving. She has made a few sounds that sound like "hi" when she waves and "yay" when she claps... but not yet ready to claim those as first words quite yet. Still sleeping like a champ (12ish hours at night and two 1.5-2 hour naps a day when we are home, naps out and about are virtually non-existant). She reaches for people a lot more now (like for them, not just arms out saying I want up).

Favorite Things: Daddy remains this little girl's most favorite thing, nothing lights her up like him. Chewing books. Rolling and sliding every where. Pushing herself up to sitting. Being outside (we go play in the front yard almost daily). Swimming and bath time (total water baby). Men (she shows a few partiality to select guys, but really she just likes men over women.). People (every where we go she makes friends). Jazz splits. "If You're Happy and You Know It." Being intense (intensely happy, intensely upset or intensely focused are the only three states she knows). Grabbing her diaper while we are changing it. Her Grandmas (she got to see all three of them this month)... Grandpas are a close second to the Grandmas. Her Great Mamaw and Papaw (even got to see them twice this month). Her one and only Aunt Katie and her 3 Uncles (Nils, Colton and Jason). (Can you tell she likes family-- I think it might be because they totally dote on her.)

Dislikes: Teething (top two broke through, fun times). Choking on a leaf (scariest moment of my life). The Snot Sucker (this has been a pretty congested month). Getting her face wiped off. Being buckled into the car seat. Getting off schedule. Not getting fed as soon as she wakes up (not so patient when it comes to eating). Constipation (gotten much better this month thanks to a daily dose of prune juice).

And, here's some pictures I took:

For the "I want lots and lots of details" people,here are more details than you could possibly want to know:

Mar 18: We drove up to San Antonio tonight. You slept great... up until the last 30 minutes (let’s just pretend you were really ready to see Uncle Nils, Aunt Katie and Emery and that’s why you were fussy). You did LOVE seeing them. You went straight to Aunt Katie’s arms and she was so smitten with you. Emery was over the top excited to see you. She is learning to say Karis, but right now is just sounds like “Ka-Ka”(which makes us laugh like middle school boys). Mar 19: What a very full day we had! First thing in the morning we headed to Sea World. Neither of you liked the car ride there, but once we got there you were both pretty happy. You got to see Shamu and even a baby Shamu and several other shows. You loved all the people watching and getting loved on by Emery was a total bonus. Then we headed to Alamo Cafe for dinner with Mamaw and Papaw. They love holding you and just watching you be you. You are one blessed and VERY loved little lady!Mar 20: One of our very favorite things to do is just before we fall asleep we turn the video monitor on and just marvel at you. We say back and forth: “I can’t believe she is ours”and “I love her so much” “Me too”and on and on we go. We are over the top about you Karis. Our love is unending. We could just burst. Also, my fears of you rolling over were ridiculous. As soon as I ask the pediatrician if it’s normal that you stopped rolling over and how you hate Tummy Time, you now like Tummy Time and roll over all the time. You are going to be such a good test for my patience. Maybe test is the wrong word, and teacher a better word. Just as I’m writing this you went from sitting to your tummy, to your back and now back to your tummy. Mar 21: Right now I am watching you (again) on the video monitor. It’s 8:24am and you have been awake for about ten minutes just smiling away and “talking” to your butterfly mobil. You (usually) wake up so happy. When Daddy and I are both home we race to your room so we can both see you get up. You start squealing and kicking your legs once you hear us open the door and hear us say: “Is the Puddy Pop awake???” (You start kicking like crazy) “You are, you are, you are awake!!!” (we pick you up, still kicking and now squealing and smiling as big as your face will allow). Mar 22: You went swimming for the first time! At first we put you in the pool but you had a HORRIBLE reaction because the water was too cold (the heater hadn’t gotten it hot enough). So we moved to the hot tub and made it room temperature. You LOVED it! You stayed in for a whole hour-- you played in your float kicking all around, then I held you and let you lay on the water on your tummy and kick around and splash with your arms. You are a little fish (just like Mama). Mar 23: Today was your Daddy’s birthday. I’m pretty sure you made his day just you being here this year. We got to celebrate with him all throughout the day here in Odessa and even made him two cakes (really one was for Uncle Jason, but Daddy blew out the candles for him). You have started showing stranger anxiety this past week, so it is going to take a couple of days to warm up to everyone and everything around here. Mar 24: Your Papaw Kiser came to see you today, he couldn’t believe how big you had gotten. He gave you lots of cuddles and kisses and of course told you lots of stories. After that we went outside for a long time since it is so pretty out once Daddy and Grammy got off work. We blowed lots of bubbles, played in the grass (you ate some grass), fed the turtles, bounced the ball with Addy, practice the crawling position (which you quickly slide down to the seal position) and rolled around. It was a beautifully perfect time. Mar 25: You are clapping all the time now. If you see anyone clap you usually will start clapping along with them or you will wait a minute once they are done and start clapping. So sweet!Mar 26: You have had such a great time with your Grammy and Grampy. They are both so smitten with you! Your Grammy never wants to put you down and you are just fine with that. But when your Grampy is anywhere in sight, you just sit there and stare at him with a giant smile. You also love their little kitten, Jewel, she makes you squeal, laugh and shake all over (and even makes me want to get you and Daddy a kitten). Mar 27: YOU MIGHT HAVE SAID YOUR FIRST WORD too... for now we will call it first and intentional sound! Every time we say “yay!” when we clap, every so often you make a very similar noise... not sure 100% yet if you mean to, we will see. On the plane ride home you were literally beaming happy the entire time. But just before we landed you were starting to get fussy and all we had to do was sing, “if you’re happy and you know it clap your hands” on repeat and you clapped and smiled till we pulled up to the gate. So wish we had camera for that moment! Mar 28: I love how you squeeze back now. When I pick you up you place your arm around my shoulder and place it real firm on my back. It is so sweet how you do that. Mar 29: Now that you like Tummy Time again is spin around in circles on your tummy. I have all your toys on the perimeter of your blanket on the floor that you play on. So if you are on your tummy you spin around, and if you are sitting up you fall over or reach all the way over to get the toy, and if you are on your back you roll over to get it. Mar 30: We call your Grandma almost every morning during your breakfast bottle but since we’ve been out of town it had been almost two weeks since you’d heard her voice. As soon as I put the phone on speaker, you started babbling to her, kicking your legs, flapping your arms, bouncing up and down and wanting to eat the phone. I think you might love your Grandma just a little bit. Mar 31: You are officially a waver! You did it a few times yesterday, but I wasn’t sure 100% that you knew what you were doing. But today, for sure, if someone waves at you, you wave back. And you do the royalty wave like you are the Queen of England. Also, I’m not willing to make it official yet, but it sure does seem like you say “yay” when you clap and “hi” when you wave (just like we do). Not 100% yet, but it sure sounds like it to me and your Dad. Your Grandma said it would be very appropriate for my daughter’s first word to be “yay.”

Apr 1: April Fool’s Day: it should be recorded that you have been having some major separation anxiety. If I even leave the room at home, you start crying. And if a stranger wants to hold you it takes a while to warm up. However your Aunt Erin and Uncle Mik don’t give you any anxiety, when they babysat you tonight they said that between bites you would smile real big and give a pageant wave. You cracked them up! May prayer for your life since the begin is that you would be a joy to people, a blessing to all you come across. And baby girl, you are a total joy and unbelievable blessing.

Apr 2: I felt it this morning for the first time-- your first top tooth. I had been pretty certain this past week or so that you were teething again, but I hate to blame things on that. But it’s really coming in. Also, today at lunch I had you sitting in my lap in a booth, you were straddling my leg like a horse and banging on the table. Before I even realized it you grabbed on to the table and pulled your self up to sitting. Later that night you did the same thing with Ms. Erin (Woods). She was holding you and you were sitting in her lap facing sideways and you grabbed her arm and pulled yourself up to standing. It all seems to be happening too fast.

Apr 3: It’s 3:30am and I just realized I haven’t recorded another new trick that you started this week-- rolling over in the middle of the night. Since you’ve become so good at rolling during the day again, you started doing it at night. One problem: You HATE being on your tummy when sleeping. So every time you do it, it wakes you up and you cry. The first two nights we went and helped your back to your back. But the past two nights you’ve calmed down enough to flip back over to your back. Right now it’s your third time to wake up crying on your tummy. You will find your way to your back. But it’s torture for me and Daddy to watch you suffer. Letting you figure things out on your own is so hard. But I know it’s for your good.

Apr 4: You have been rolling in your crib all week. But the max you do on the floor is one time. But today you went all the way across the living room like it was no big deal. Since you’ve always hated your tummy I always cheer when your roll over. So with each roll you’d look up at me as if saying, cheer mom, that was good!Apr 5: Best Mommy Moment Yet: You reached for me. Not reached up to get up. But reached up looking at me, leaning into me, and arms aimed right at me. You wanted me. So sweet. You also cuddled with me during Baby Signing Time DVD this morning. Either you are sick or you are overwhelmed with your love for me. I’ll go with the second.

Apr 6: Scariest Moment of Your Life (and mine): You choked today eating leaves (one of your favorite things to do). The Lord totally took over Mommy, without remembering it’s what I was supposed to do I flipped you upside down on your tummy and you threw up. But before that you were coughing and starting to choke, then you were sucking in but very little air was coming. As I got up to grab you to run for help you threw up the bite of a leaf you snuck in your mouth. Ever since then I’ve said over and over again, “The Lord was protecting you and saved you...” and you look at me and smile and clap. Every time.

Apr 7: The babbling has begun. Not a lot but today you started saying some sounds with consonants in them. I heard a “ma” and a “da” (not in any way directed at us). Also, while playing on the couch, I caught you waving at your own shadow. How sweet of it to wave back. ;)Apr 8: Your favorite things to play with is the plastic tube stacker thing, cardboard Spot books, and the plastic letters sprinkled across our living room floor. You enjoy you exersaucer for about 20 minutes a pop. But your favorites are sitting up or rolling around on the floor with Mom and Dad (especially Dad). You still love “Baby Signing” and “Baby Can Read” DVDs and we watch each about once a day. You adore being outside and love being in big groups. You have recently noticed that people are watching your cuteness and you have started entertaining people.

Apr 9: Daddy took you on a little date to Spots park today. He loves you so much that he takes you on dates sometimes even though you aren’t old enough to understand. Also, you started pushing your pelvis off the floor when you are on your tummy. You also love pushing yourself backwards while on your tummy. So the only direction you have to go is up and forward. Feeling we aren’t too far away from that moment.

Apr 10: You are still in Ms. Stacy’s room at church (and will be till you crawl). She loves you so. Me and Daddy volunteered so we got to see you in your element. CJ Webster was there and y’all played together most of the day. Daddy took y’all and a couple other babies on a buggie ride and CJ kept pulling up your skirt and eating it! I love watching you with other kids your age. You are still for a while and just take them all in. Then you will get to playing.

Apr 11: I can’t get over how active you are now and you aren’t even crawling. But some how you know how to roll over to get something, you can spin around on that tummy like you are a record on a player (you won’t even know what that is), and you are trying to pull up on things (not doing it yet, but trying). You love to throw things. And everything goes in your mouth. You are making all kinds of noises and your volume is getting louder too. You still love the the scary, scratchy old man growl.

Apr 12: Your Grandma came today and here are some of her favorite things about you right now: your intensity, your big old smile, how you reach for her, your laughter, how big you arch your back so high, your little feet and how you hold them, the way you look at me to see if I just saw what you did, how cute your little and soft thighs feel, how you respond to your Mommy when she sings your special songs,... she could say a thousand more things.

Apr 13: Your Grandma and I spent most of the day with you at the Galleria-- not quite sure if you like shopping as much as we do quite yet (but I’m sure that will change). You would roll around on the floor of the dressing rooms (kinda gross), smile at everyone that walked by, cry when we had been in one place too long... but more than anything you made us laugh again and again. So fun to be 3 generations all together.

Apr 14: Every day you seem to be doing something new, I can hardly keep up with it all. Today you learned how to go from your tummy to sitting up. For just learning it today, I can hardly believe how quickly you do it now. You have pushed up many times into crawling position today too. Not moving or rocking but up for about 30 seconds. And the best way I can describe your movement is it’s like you slide across our room. You aren’t army crawling, but more like a snake slide. You are definitely mobile(ish) in that you can get all around the room now. But it isn’t crawling or creeping, I don’t quite know how to describe it.Apr 15: Your Aunt Katie, Uncle Nils and Emery came into town today. They brought a little kids pool with them and we spent all day outside. The water was too cold for you to handle (not Emery) so we just hung out on the blanket in your cute little ruffled, yellow and white tankini. I love how it rolls up over your tummy sometimes and your little half outie/half innie belly button shows. Also, when Daddy got home he tangoed with you and Ems at the same time for about 5 minutes. You thought it was the funniest thing you’ve ever done! I haven’t heard you laugh that hard in a long time!Apr 16: The way you sit right now is just the cutest thing ever, so lady like. Instead of regular sitting position (like you used to do), you now put both legs to the side like ladies do when they wear skirts. It is so sweet. (On a side note, that is how your Daddy sits too!) Another funny sitting thing you do sometimes is the jazz splits or a middle split (you spread your legs so open that you almost are doing the middle splits).

Apr 17: EIGHT MONTHS! Sundays are social days for you-- you LOVE getting to see everyone at church. Your nursery helpers were very excited to see you, you got to play with Kyle, got to give Ms. Carolyn (O’Neal) some good smiles and waves, and flirted with everybody else that walked by. Also you and your Grandma had a fun afternoon just the two of you while she sent me and Daddy to the movies.

Hi and thanks for stopping by! I'm Becky Kiser. I'm a wife, mom to 3 girls, writer, speaker, and founder of Sacred Holidays. I love Jesus and desire to see women follow Him more fully as we go hard after Him and what He has called us to.

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